The NBA season has officially started, and there may be some surprises as to the top teams. There have been two teams that have pretty much controlled the NBA for the last five years, and they are the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.
You can definitely count out the Cavs of the Eastern Conference, with the loss of their star LeBron James and a year before that losing star point guard Kyrie Irving. Comments on the Warriors have been “Oh, well they lost Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson’s injured! They don’t stand a chance!”. You actually can’t overlook the Warriors. They still have three all stars in their starting lineup.
But there is one team that looks superior in the Western Conference this year: the Los Angeles Clippers. This is a real turnaround from their past teams. The Clippers opened up their year with a blowout win over the Golden State Warriors. The Clippers lineup contains lots of great players, including, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Patrick Beverly, and Lou Williams.
The Houston Rockets should be a playoff contender also, as they have two major players, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. The Los Angeles Lakers, the in-town rivals of the Clippers also have new stars, including Anthony Davis, LeBron James, DeMarcus Cousins, and Dwight Howard. They are all forwards and centers though, so the guard position will be a need for the Lakers.
But we can’t forget the Eastern Conference. The Philadelphia 76ers are the top prospect for the Eastern Conference title. They have players like Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Al Horford. The Sixers opened up their season with a win, just like the Western Conference favorites the Clippers.
The NBA playoff race should be a good one this year, but keep your eye on the Sixers and the Clippers.